Dredge Disposal Monitoring by Fourier Shape Analysis

by Amy C. Frankenburg, Univ of South Carolina, United States,
Robert Ehrlich, Univ of South Carolina, United States,



Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: Barrier Islands: Process and Management

Abstract:

Fourier grain-shape analysis characterizes a population of sediments in terms of the shapes of the grains. The technique of grain-shape analysis has been successfully applied to the area of the Charleston Harbor Ocean Dredged Material Disposal Site (ODMDS). In order to monitor the site, 28 stations were sampled in and around the disposal nine and fourteen months after dredge material was deposited. In addition, three samples were collected from the Charleston Harbor entrance channel in the vicinity of the dredging activity. The sand-sized quartz fraction of each sample was analyzed using the Fourier grain-shape analysis technique. The technique was able to distinguish between the indigenous nearshore material, and the deposited dredge material and track its movement over the period of the study. The preliminary results suggest that in areas where other textural analysis techniques are inadequate, grain-shape analysis can be useful in resolving subtle variations in sediment provenance and should be considered for routine application in offshore disposal site investigations.

Subject Headings: Dredged materials | Grain (material) | Ports and harbors | Fourier analysis | Waste sites | Site investigation | Soil analysis

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